It is well-documented that introverts are inwardly driven and need rest to replenish themselves after some degree of socializing.
Some research suggests that introverts need nearly eight hours of alone time to replenish themselves.
However, these statistics must be taken with skepticism because all introverts are not created alike, and researchers may be answering the wrong question.
There are critical errors in the thinking of researchers that assume that somehow introverts are being so bombarded by people that they need to escape.
Many researchers assume that:
- Introverts are fragile and will implode if they don’t get away from people by a designated time.
- Introverts are so disempowered that they can’t set boundaries or know when to say “no” to social intrusion.
- Introverts don’t already have an introverted lifestyle that may tolerate more sociability.
Active and ambitious introverts need alone time to accomplish the daily activities they choose to complete to enhance their quality of life.
In their daily ritual, if they opt to exercise one hour a day and read for two hours, introverts need three hours of alone time for that day.
Alone time is not some random timeline to which introverts’ bodies are tuned.
And suppose introverts follow similar patterns to active people who lack sleep due to the physical and psychological challenges of contemporary living. In that case, they may have the necessary alone time but still, need adequate rest.
As an introvert, I am a night owl. I prefer the quietness and stillness of inactivity by others.
Years ago, I determined that I wanted my days available to work on my business aspirations, and working nights allowed me to support myself financially.
Often, my off days were on a weekday.
So my life was opposite to the daily lives of ordinary people.
Guess what?
By my life being counter to everyone else’s, I could food shop and maneuver without constraints.
Yes, I still wanted time to myself, but by developing a life on my terms, my need for alone time was minimal.
And that’s the takeaway for introverts, the more you construct your life to align with your core needs, beliefs, and philosophies, the less pushback you get from outsiders and potential interlopers.
People tend to leave you alone when you live under the radar and counter to their routines.
Ultimately, people don’t care what you do unless you negatively affect their lives.
“Out of sight…Out of mind” is true, particularly for introverts.
It doesn’t mean introverts aren’t loved or that people don’t call to check on them.
Introverts may casually cross someone’s mind and receive unexpected phone calls or texts.
People want introverts to understand their pain, plight, and problems when they need them.
So, there may be ulterior motives even when people check in on introverts.
Why do introverts shut down?
Introverts shut down on others when they witness the selfishness of human nature.
Eminent economist Dr. Walter E. Williams espoused that everyone’s body was their private property.
And with private property ownership, people had the right to make any decision they desired as long as they did not infringe on the private property rights of others.
Enlightened introverts accept this notion because self-governance and accountability align with their core values.
A challenge emerges when the larger community insists on inflicting their backstories, failed decisions, and irrational thinking on society with an expectation of being rescued.
Ultimately, irrational people want it both ways, private property rights but human intervention when critical decisions go awry.
Analytical introverts see the errors in this line of thinking and choose to accept the failed choices made as part of the private property contract but reject society’s acceptance of any responsibility and remedies for failed results.
Introverts shutting down is a rallying cry for “Enough is enough.”
For introverts, this is not a meltdown but a slow burn for years of accommodating buffoonery.
What alone time means to introverts
For introverts, more than alone time is required to replenish their energy. Alone time is freeing themselves from the irrationality of people within an intelligence-driven world.
Pockets of society willing to accept opinions over verifiable facts offend the sensibilities of enlightened introverts.
As a result, the hypersensitivity of introverts requires that they reclaim the intellectual high ground lost when they have been inordinately exposed to low-brow exchanges.
After an afternoon of low-caloric bantering, I need to go home to read, watch a documentary, or engage in an academically rich activity.
Charles Lieberman’s article How to Achieve More with an Introverted Lifestyle pointed out the intricacies of developing a self-contained existence.
Lieberman outlined, by using Asian Efficiency, a website focusing on human productivity, the introverted lifestyle that made Albert Einstein a world-renown scientist.
Einstein’s productive lifestyle entailed the following:
- A daily ritual and schedule
- A minimalist lifestyle
- A concentrated effort on the most critical aspects of work
Einstein ate, slept, walked/drove, and worked each day.
This Spartan lifestyle left very little room for frivolity and triviality.
Conclusion
Many researchers overlook the core need of introverts to remain committed to a lifestyle and process that allows them to self-actualize.
This need to become all they can be is essential to the DNA of ambitious introverts.
As researchers fall into the abyss of viewing introverts as one-dimensional, they will miss the impact that introverted focus and self-determination have on society.
Introverts need alone time to achieve the audacious and seemingly complex ventures that define their lives within a finite measure of time.
Ultimately, an introverted lifestyle does not ask for alone time. Alone time is embedded into the process of achievement and demands it.
—Mark Warner
Reference
3 Lessons from Einstein’s productive life. Asian Efficiency. Retrieved from: https://bit.ly/3OqYKlF.
